


In Balance

by i_paint_the_sky



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-10 00:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17415167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_paint_the_sky/pseuds/i_paint_the_sky
Summary: Katrina meets her first Trill while on assignment at the Olympic Games.





	In Balance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pixie (magnetgirl)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetgirl/gifts).



**The Olympic Games, Aldebaran, 2224**

The corner of the Athlete's Village assigned to Starfleet Medical was bustling this afternoon, which was just how Katrina liked it. There was nothing better than being busy doing good work. And challenging work too, as not only was she working with different species from across the Federation, but the psychology of professional athletes was something she'd always found fascinating. 

Her next appointment was with a young gymnast from Trill. Not a lot was known of the Trill - she'd only met a couple before. As she headed for her office, she wasn't sure what to expect.

What she definitely wasn't expecting was to find her patient doing a handstand against the wall. 

“Emony Odaren?” she asked, as the young woman gracefully transitioned to a standing position. 

“The one and only,” Emony replied with a wide grin. 

Katrina offered a hand. “Ensign Katrina Cornwell, it's a pleasure to meet you.”

Emony took her hand and shook it firmly, something that didn't always happen with non-humans. “It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Cornwell.”

“Shall we sit down,” Katrina asked, gesturing toward the nearby chairs. They both walked over and settled, though Emony seemed to be having trouble staying still, her eyes darting around the room. 

Finally, Emony focused on Katrina. “I've never met a Starfleet officer before. Or many humans, for that matter. I've been studying your customs though, and other species, to make sure I'm ready.”

_She's so young,_ Katrina thought, which immediately made her feel old since there was probably only about a decade between them in age. Still, it was amazing to think of how much work Emony had done already, to get here. “The Olympics are a great opportunity to meet new people you might never come across otherwise.”

“Oh, absolutely! I've never even been off Trill before, and we don't really have many visitors there…” Her voice trailed off, and for a moment, it seemed like she was going to say more before she shook her head. “My coach is a bit worried that I'll get too distracted though, which is why he wanted me to come see you.”

“Do you agree with him about that?”

Emony thought about that for a moment before finally shrugging. “Maybe. But I'm not too worried about it. I'm going to win.”

Katrina's eyebrows raised at that but found herself believing it, as for the first time Emony was sitting still. “Is there anything else I can help you with then? This session is scheduled for half an hour.”

The Trill thought about that for a moment. “I suppose I could tell you about some of my pre-competition plans, get your professional opinion. And maybe you could tell me more about Starfleet? And humans?”

“Sure,” Kat said with a smile. This was definitely going to be an interesting day.

-

The next couple of days were filled with new faces, but Katrina found that none stuck with her quite like Emony did. She kept an eye out when she was walking through the Village but never spotted her. She didn’t spot any Trills, in fact, though she knew there was a full delegation of them.

She was just heading out for dinner when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and found Emony standing in the shadows. “Hello,” Katrina said.”

The Trill looked down, shuffling from foot to foot. “Hello,” she said eventually, her voice soft and small. “I was hoping that maybe I could talk to you again?”

“Of course,” Katrina replied without hesitation. “Come on in.” 

Emony fidgeted as she took her seat, the same as before, and yet she wasn’t. Her ill ease was infectious, as Katrina found herself growing more concerned by the moment. “What would you like to talk about?”

“I … I’ve been having nightmares.”

Katrina nodded. “That’s not surprising, given how soon your competition is.”

“No,” Emony said, shaking her head, “it’s not about the competition. It’s something I saw, something terrible.”

“And what was that?”

“Um, well … a few months ago, a city on Trill was destroyed by an asteroid. I didn’t know anyone there, but we were in the area, training. And so, I saw it.” She paused, her finger tapping nervously on the chair’s arm. “It was terrible, so much destruction. I try not to think about it, but when I’m sleeping, well, I can’t really stop myself.”

Katrina did remember hearing about that disaster and wondering about all those who had lived through it. She hadn’t expected to ever meet one of them. “That sounds terrible, Emony. I’m sorry you had to experience that.” 

Emony managed a small smile. “Is there anything I can do to stop the nightmares?”

She thought about that for a moment. “Well, I’m afraid it will take time, but there are some coping strategies you can try. One that I’ve used successfully is to a waking visualization technique, where you imagine that instead of witnessing the scene in person that instead you saw it on a video screen. Do you think you can try that?”

“I think so,” Emony replied. “By doing that, am I supposed to make it feel less real?”

Katrina nodded. “Yes, something like that. It’s called Visual-Kinesthetic Dissociation.”

“Visual Kinesthetic Dissociation,” the Trill repeated slowly, her eyes slightly unfocused. 

“Is there anything else I should do?”

“Why don’t you start with that and see if it helps.” Katrina could think of other treatment, but she usually found it best not to overwhelm people with too many at once. “Can you come back and see me in a few days?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I hope that this will help you. And please, feel free to ask me if you have any questions.”

Emony smiled as she stood up and headed for the door. “Thank you, Dr. Cornwell, I will.”

-

She had to call in some favours, but Katrina was able to get the day of the all-around gymnastics competition off. It was a moment she would never forget, sitting in the stands and watching as Emony flew through the air and across the mats, making each more look beautiful and effortless. By the end of it, she had three latinum medals around her small neck, a shocking turn of events for anyone who hadn’t met her and seen her determination.

Emony came in the next day to see her. “I tried what you said, and I think it helped. I did have one nightmare two nights ago, but then I stood on my head of half an hour and imagined that it was just something I’d seen on the news and then I was able to get back to sleep.”

“That’s wonderful. And congratulations on your victory yesterday, you were amazing.”

“Thank you,” Emony said, beaming. “I’m really happy that I met you.”

Katrina smiled. “So am I.”


End file.
